Monday, January 19, 2015

Horisont - Break the Limit 7"

If you've been waiting for Swedish
throwback rockers Horisont to release a new album you'll have
to wait a little longer. I know, Fall 2013 was so long ago! But in
the meantime the quintet has released a killer 7” called Break
the Limit (Rise Above) to whet the appetite. Comprised of two
songs both just barely cracking the four minute mark, it's not much
but the boys pack in as much as they can.

“Break the Limit” utilizes deft
fret work and cruisin' riffs to great effect, immediately taking the
listener back to the days of yore. The chorus is as hooky as Hell is
hot in August particularly thanks to vocalist Axel Söderberg
himself. When he hits those hight notes you just have to sing along.
Or at least try to.

Drummer
Pontus Jordan is swift and filly, with jazzy movement. The bridge is
slow(er), ominous and heavy on Magnus Delborg's bass. And of course,
guitarists Charlie Van Loo and Kristofer Möller
simply tear it up with soaring guitarmonies and shredding solos.

Flipping
over to “Yellow Blues” we're greeted by some fancy keyboard work.
No word on who's playing them but they need to keep it up! It lends
extra flair to the bellbottoms and makes hair grow. They don't stick
around too long as they give way to some rumbling riffage. Jordan
propels his thunder feet down the highway like a semi without brakes.
The keys come back with a psychedelic edge just before the glory. Van
Loo and Möller
battle each other as if they went down to Georgia. It's all very
bluesy and such but when they lock horns together they just fire off
into the stratosphere. Fantastic.

I
actually missed out on 2013's Time
Warriors so this 7”
is the first I've heard Horisont since 2012's Second
Assault and I just
about forgot how tight these guys are. I never realized how much
Söderberg
reminds me of Early Man's Mike Conte until now. A Horisont tour with
Early Man and Dune would be stellar! Anyway, as good as Break
the Limit is, it's
more of a tease than a stop-gap.

These
songs have a fire burning under them and one can only hope that extra
energy carries over to a new full length as soon as possible.